The field of this invention relates to methods for improving the abrasion resistance and durability of fabric containing a substantial amount of recycled wool fiber.
According to accepted usage in the wool processing industry, the term "recycled wool" covers both reprocessed wool (viz. cutting scraps) and reused wool (viz. shredded clothing). Such recycled wool fibers are shorter than those of virgin wool and more difficult to form into yarn. However, techniques are known for spinning recycled wool fibers to form yarn, which can be used to weave fabric, which may be composed partly or wholly of the recycled wool having less abrasion resistance and less durability than cloth formed from virgin wool. Consequently, a need has been recognized to provide a relatively simple and inexpensive process for improving these properties of such fabric without at the same time appreciably downgrading the other desirable properties of the fabric.
It is known that wool fibers can be reacted with a variety of monomers such as the various acrylate monomers to introduce these compounds onto wool by reactions such as acylation or free radical graft polymerization. Illustrative of the art are Miller, et al., Textile Res. J. Vol. 31, 451-455 (1961); Varma, et al., Die Angewandte Makromolekular Chemie, Vol. 35, 203-211 (1974); and Arai, et al., Int. J. Macromol., Vol. 2, 355-360 (1980). No such reference is known which relates to the treatment of recycled wool fibers or cloth prepared from such fibers with vinyl monomers.